Cut-Up is a method for introducing aleatory techiques into the creative process. It’s historically related to writing in the first place, but it can be used for any form of art.
The Web is perfect for experimenting with random writing; in past times, this could be done only by manual typewriting. Now cut-up inspired projects have the possibility to develop in many other forms. In this post I’d like to point you to some of these sites and application of interest.
CutUp: East London collective for the creation of public installations which aim to strike the public imagination by acting on urban design.
Languageisavirus – related to NaNoWriMo – has a large collection of interesting tools like the Poetry Generator, the Text Collage, the Poem Engine and many others… one of the most complete web site about it, absolutely worth a visit if you’re into this kind of stuff.
A very good cut-up machine for any text you paste in, projected by Gary Leeming for the english language, here’s the link.
A simplified version of the application above is here.
For another cut-up machine completely online, much more complete with options and with four fields to fill in, look here.
A grammar-oriented online application, based on tagging techniques, find it here.
An interesting desktop application, unfortunately not free ($14.99 after a 7-days trial): CutnMix.
For a good explanation of the cut-up theory and practice, check this link.
Fundamental: “the Lazarus Corporation“.
There’s also a Visual Thesaurus which is cut-up related but you’ll have to pay.
Last but not least the CutUpCollective.
For any feedback, correction, addition… just write me, or post a comment below.
